Alex Turnbull, the founder who bootstrapped Groove to $5 million ARR, has launched Helply, an AI-native B2B support platform that is free forever and only charges when AI resolves a ticket, according to saastr.com. Helply guarantees 65% AI resolution within 90 days or users pay nothing. The platform has already signed over 100 B2B companies with ARR ranging from $1 million to $50 million, including Rumble, Proposify, and Unsplash.
Turnbull, who ran Groove profitably without investors for 12 years, shifted his approach in 2024 by founding Helply to challenge traditional helpdesk models. He identified that legacy per-seat pricing and ticketing systems, like Zendesk and Intercom, were becoming obsolete due to AI’s ability to autonomously resolve a significant portion of support tickets. Helply’s business model charges only for measurable AI outcomes such as resolved tickets, churn alerts, or upsell flags, reflecting a new approach to customer support pricing.
This development is significant as it addresses the inefficiencies in legacy customer support platforms by leveraging AI to reduce costs and improve resolution rates. Helply’s model aligns with the growing trend of AI-driven automation in SaaS, particularly in customer support, where companies seek to optimize operational expenses while maintaining service quality. The focus on B2B companies with moderate ARR highlights a targeted market segment that is ripe for disruption.
Looking ahead, Helply plans to continue expanding its client base and refining its AI capabilities to meet its resolution guarantee. The company’s bootstrapped approach and innovative pricing model position it as a notable contender in the evolving customer support SaaS landscape, with potential to influence how support services are priced and delivered in the AI era.